[On Stage] "A Movie-Like Love People Dream Of... A Work of Comfort in These Difficult Times"

Joo Won Returns After 7 Years with the Musical 'Ghost'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Actor Joo Won (33) described himself as "a person who is very vulnerable to the melodrama genre." Since childhood, he has been deeply affected by heartrending love stories, leaving a lasting impression.

He said, "I was the type to get deeply immersed in melodramas. It was so heartbreaking, and I wondered how people could do that, but on the other hand, if I were in love, I thought I would want to do the same."

The movie he saw in high school, Ghost (1990), is one such film. Starring in the musical Ghost, which uses the original title of Ghost, was a natural and obvious choice for Joo Won. He will appear as the male lead, Sam Wheat, in the musical Ghost, opening next month on the 6th at the D-Cube Arts Center in Guro-gu, Seoul. This is the role originally played by Patrick Swayze in the film.

Joo Won said there were not many movies he was as deeply immersed in as Ghost. He named three films he was deeply captivated by, the others being Romeo and Juliet (1968) and The Notebook (2004). All three depict heartrending love stories. Especially in Ghost and Romeo and Juliet, love that transcends death is portrayed. It is a love that is realistically impossible, something that seems only possible in dramas.

For Joo Won, who dreams of such love, acting might be his true calling. "I thought my thoughts about love would never change, but somehow they do. In the past, I simply thought I would have a movie-like love, but at some point, I felt it was not realistically possible. However, everyone dreams of a movie-like love. When someone appears, loving them wholeheartedly is the most realistic thing, but if I could have a movie-like love, I would want to."

Actor Joo Won [Photo by Shinse Company]

Joo Won's last musical in 2013 was also 'Ghost'... One of the movies he was deeply captivated by was 'Ghost'
He even thought, "I want to experience that kind of love," transcending death for the one he loves

Joo Won said Ghost is attractive because it contains the love we all dream of, and it can be a source of strength and comfort during difficult times like now. "'Ghost' contains the love we dream of, so even those who haven't seen the movie or the performance can relate. It depicts the cool kind of love everyone dreamed of as a child?someone willing to give their life for another and protect them even after death. That is the greatest charm of Ghost."

This is Joo Won's first musical appearance in seven years. The last musical he appeared in, in 2013, was also Ghost. Joo Won said, "Because it was Ghost, deciding to appear was easy." He had already decided to appear in Ghost a year ago.

"After being discharged in February last year, I received offers for musicals, dramas, and other works, but there was no need to hesitate about Ghost. I decided to appear in Ghost last year and thought that no matter what happens next year, I must schedule everything around Ghost. Since I was in the original production, I feel Ghost is my work. It is a work based on a movie I really liked, and it received a lot of love during the premiere. Fans have been waiting a lot. It was a work I had been thinking about steadily, so I am very happy to do it again."

In Ghost, Sam dies in an unexpected accident. He remains in the living world as a spirit to protect and communicate with his beloved Molly. Released in 1990, Ghost caused a sensation and was recorded as the movie with the highest audience worldwide that year.

One of the famous scenes in the movie is when a coin floats in the air right before Molly's eyes. Sam shows the coin floating in the air to prove his invisible presence to Molly. In fact, Sam places the coin on his palm, but since Molly cannot see Sam's spirit, the scene is portrayed as the coin floating in midair.

In the musical, a letter replaces the coin. Sam moves and folds the letter, and this scene is performed as magic on stage. "Although it is magic, it is a meaningful scene and is expressed very beautifully. It is also my favorite scene and a scene where a moment from the movie is well realized in a different way."

Like the letter scene, Ghost features a series of magical and fantastic scenes using cutting-edge stage equipment. For this reason, Ghost is sometimes called a "magical," a combination of magic and musical. It took seven years to prepare the revival stage of Ghost because it was not easy to realize such a fantastic stage.

The musical Ghost premiered in 2011 in London's West End. The 2013 Korean performance was the first in a non-English-speaking country.

Musical 'Ghost' 2013 performance scene. Joo Won as 'Sam' and Ivy as 'Molly'
Photo by Shinsicompany

The stage is home to Joo Won. He debuted in 2007 with the musical Altar Boys and appeared in Singles, Grease, and others. From 2010, he expanded his activities to dramas and films. Joo Won won the Grand Prize at the SBS Drama Awards in 2015 for the drama Yong Pal. Having reached the top in his late twenties, he has now returned to the stage in his thirties.

Joo Won said, "Personally, although I appear in movies and dramas, I take great pride in being a stage actor," adding, "I originally was an actor who stood on stage, and I think that is what sets me apart from other actors." He added, "These days, while rehearsing, I find myself wondering if I really enjoyed the stage this much before."

"In the past, I couldn't enjoy it because of some unknown anxiety, but these days I am enjoying rehearsals very much. Compared to seven years ago, I have grown a bit and hope to be recognized as an actor who knows how to enjoy and have fun more. If an actor is having fun and enjoying the stage, the audience will definitely feel it too."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.